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Taste.com.au - November 2011
Eat in, eat out, eat well. Look for the taste liftout on Tuesdays in the Herald Sun, Courier Mail and Daily Telegraph, on Wednesdays in the Adelaide Advertiser, and in Perth’s Sunday Times.

Spain's answer to salami is more than a tapas staple. Here's how to use it.

What is it?

With the popularity of tapas, all things Spanish have found their way into our kitchens - think paella, gazpacho and churros con chocolate. But nothing is as popular or as revered as chorizo. A dry-cured sausage, its salty, smoky, slightly sweet flavour means it's a must-have in Spanish stews, soups and rice dishes, or as a tapa, pan-fried and eaten with hunks of crusty bread and a cold cerveza (beer). Chorizo is made from finely chopped pork seasoned with garlic, chilli and smoked paprika. It's the paprika - pimenton in Spanish - that's responsible for chorizo's red colour and smoky flavour. The taste varies with the amount and type of paprika used. Chorizo is speckled with flecks of pork fat, which adds flavour and means there's no need to use oil when frying it - the fat melts and oozes out during cooking.

Ways to use it:

Fry sliced chorizo until crisp, then add a splash of apple cider and simmer until the cider is syrupy. Serve with fresh bread.

Stir-fry chorizo and coarsely chopped tomato then add to scrambled eggs, or a frittata for breakfast.

Chop chorizo and fry with thawed peas or broad beans for a tasty side, or add it to your favourite lentil soup recipe

Cook’s tip:

Chorizo should be sliced or chopped before cooking. To prevent sliced chorizo curling up during frying, use a knife to score the casing of the sausage before you slice it.